All Things Alabama

[Dizzyphil]

Please tell me you are being sarcastic or joking?!?!

When a fan of any team outside of the Irish come to this site, they are always welcomed. There have been many that have valid points and argue diplomatically and sometimes have stats to back up their claims and arguments. I am not putting you in any class of those that come here but, usually those that start out with their first post to say they are here because they are a 'secondary' or distant fans of the Irish and are looking for reasonable and fun banter - more than less wind up getting banned or negative reps.

But when you stated "Notre Dame hasn't seen a team with an Oline or RB's like this what Bama does isn't a scheme they lineup hit you in the mouth until you wear down." Honestly, how many games have you watched of the Irish this year or are you only determining who and what the Irish have faced by the name of the teams on our schedule? Most every team the Irish play are long-time foes, have history, and are out for revenge for years of a$$ whoopings by the Irish.

And what team is not going to line up and try and punch another team in the mouth?

There is but a small handful of people on this site that do not respect alabama. I respect them in the utmost as well as Saban. If you wish to keep that respect from us that do have respect for your team, please have some respect for OUR forum and our fans in here.

I guarantee you positive reps if you do that homie.....

GO IRISH!!!!!!!!

Diz

 

[irishtrain]

McCarron's a better qb than you guys seem to think. Remember, he led the nation this season in passing efficiency (2600 yds, 26 td's, and only 3 int's). He can make all the throws and has a very strong arm. Accuracy is very good and he rarely makes a bad decision. The knock on him comes mostly from the system he plays in and what Saban asks him to do. Our O isn't built around him being a gunslinger every play. It's based on power running with him making safe throws. It's about ball control and playing error-free. Trust me, AJ can throw when he needs to.

This is the reason I said my words would cause a stir. Yeh I know he should have won the Heisman and he's going to rip Notre Dame apart. What I said I still stick behind-I would put the game in his hands and take my chances.

 

[chicago51]

When a fan of any team outside of the Irish come to this site, they are always welcomed. There have been many that have valid points and argue diplomatically and sometimes have stats to back up their claims and arguments. I am not putting you in any class of those that come here but, usually those that start out with their first post to say they are here because they are a 'secondary' or distant fans of the Irish and are looking for reasonable and fun banter - more than less wind up getting banned or negative reps.

But when you stated "Notre Dame hasn't seen a team with an Oline or RB's like this what Bama does isn't a scheme they lineup hit you in the mouth until you wear down." Honestly, how many games have you watched of the Irish this year or are you only determining who and what the Irish have faced by the name of the teams on our schedule? Most every team the Irish play are long-time foes, have history, and are out for revenge for years of a$$ whoopings by the Irish.

And what team is not going to line up and try and punch another team in the mouth?

There is but a small handful of people on this site that do not respect alabama. I respect them in the utmost as well as Saban. If you wish to keep that respect from us that do have respect for your team, please have some respect for OUR forum and our fans in here.

I guarantee you positive reps if you do that homie.....

GO IRISH!!!!!!!!

Diz

Positive reps for you.

Yes any ND fan that doesn't recognize how strong of a team Alabama has is crazy. AND Any Bama thinking that they can just roll out of bead, have Nick Saban say a few magic words and beat Notre Dame 35-6 is also crazy.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

ND no better than 7th in the SEC. ND schedule is a joke. ND will be Bama's 4th hardest game this season. Saban is the best coach ever with a month to prep. Bama would beat the Chiefs. Te'o wouldn't start for Bama. Lacey is Voltron........

There. It's all out for everyone to see. Now start talking like someone who breathes through their nose or go away.

 

[WakeUpEchoes]

ND no better than 7th in the SEC. ND schedule is a joke. ND will be Bama's 4th hardest game this season. Saban is the best coach ever with a month to prep. Bama would beat the Chiefs. Te'o wouldn't start for the top 7 teams in the SEC. Lacey is Voltron........

There. It's all out for everyone to see. Now start talking like someone who breathes through their nose or go away.

FIFY.

 

[TidePride]

Mostly, I agree. I think you are actually overrating both SC and GA though.

Georgia wins the SEC East but their schedule was horrible. Their only good win was Florida and that was one of the ugliest games I have ever seen.

SC talks a lot of smack(I live just outside Columbia and hear it all day everyday), but can someone tell me why they think they are so great? What has SC done to be categorized as a great team?

And it's really funny to me that a middle of the road Big 12 team in aTm comes into the SEC and all of a sudden they are a great team! Really? According to the SEC folks, the Big 12 plays in the shadow of the SEC. If the SEC is all that, aTm should not have been able to compete. They should have been the 8th best team in the conference.


I cannot wait for 1/7/13. Everyday that we get closer to that day, the more confidence I get in a ND victory.

I doubt aTm bringing in Sumlin a guy that had a little success at Houston or maybe having the best quarterback in the country, the Heisman winner improved them at all.

It was perfect timing after Bama had played a very emotional tough game with LSU the week before and had nothing left in the tank but take nothing away from aTm they're a good team. Undefeated seasons are hard to accomplish it takes some luck, a few bounces your way, and some good football.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I doubt aTm bringing in Sumlin a guy that had a little success at Houston or maybe having the best quarterback in the country, the Heisman winner improved them at all.

This is rich. So you'd have us believe an SEC fanboy like yourself never sneered at Sumlin's "gimmicky" air raid? Were you upset when Case Keenum got snubbed by the Heisman voters? Spare me.

aTm was beneath your contempt until they managed to beat you, and even then, they would never have had a chance if 'Bama wasn't coming off an emotional game against LSU.

 

[tidetoit]

Who are we?

Who are we?

Whats great about college football is it's such a deep personal passion. No matter what anyone says here or on any college football message board we're all homers. All we care about is our team. That's what makes college football so great and so different from all other sports. Whatelse evokes so much passion and stokes the competitive fire within us more than a match up like Alabama - Notre Dame? We care so much we go out of our way to be petty and childish. We argue and talk trash to any and everyone who'll listen. We look for excuses to brag on our team and put down our opponents and every other team in the land. When it comes to college football we're all homers acting like stubborn selfish children. We reject logic, facts, and even the evidence we've seen with our own eyes because we're blinded by our own love affair with "our" team. We wear rose-colored glasses each and every day and never give quarter or yield to anyone, anywhere, anytime - no matter how ridiculous we look. We are fanatics. And none of us want it any other way.

ROLL TIDE!

 

[NDinL.A.]

McCarron's a better qb than you guys seem to think. Remember, he led the nation this season in passing efficiency (2600 yds, 26 td's, and only 3 int's). He can make all the throws and has a very strong arm. Accuracy is very good and he rarely makes a bad decision. The knock on him comes mostly from the system he plays in and what Saban asks him to do. Our O isn't built around him being a gunslinger every play. It's based on power running with him making safe throws. It's about ball control and playing error-free. Trust me, AJ can throw when he needs to.

I think McCarron's better than some people here on saying, but I think he's worse than Bama fans realize, in the sense that when he gets pressured and hit in the mouth, he is not very good, at least in the rare tough games I've seen him play this year. Against LSU he was God-awful for almost the entire game. He was nails when it counted, no doubt, but LSU for some stupid reason called off the dogs. And against aTm, he threw some horrific passes as well, especially the last pass.

As a game manager he's great, and you give him time, he'll do some damage with his arm, so ND can't sleep on him at all. It'll be KEY that ND slows down the run (ND's strength) and then gets after him in passing situations (gonna be tough against your o-line). Bama's other targets don't scare me, but Cooper is nice. No one is better than USC's duo of Lee and Woods, and ND did a good job against them, so it gives me hope. But we gotta stop the run first of course.

It's really going to be a fascinating game - so many great match-ups! Go IRISH!

 

[dshans]

I went to the 1975 ND – Alabama Orange Bowl. There was a contingent of Tide fans sitting behind me. When the Tide scored later in the game and tightened things up, I passed them my faux goatskin "bladder" to help them celebrate. I neglected to warn them that it was filled with straight Jack Daniel's rather than the cheap-*** Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill most would expect.

After they stopped coughing they thanked me profusely. We became situational friends. It was one helluva a game and we were all very gracious to one another after the game.

Not all Tide and Irish fans are caricatures.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Whats great about college football is it's such a deep personal passion. No matter what anyone says here or on any college football message board we're all homers. All we care about is our team. That's what makes college football so great and so different from all other sports. Whatelse evokes so much passion and stokes the competitive fire within us more than a match up like Alabama - Notre Dame? We care so much we go out of our way to be petty and childish. We argue and talk trash to any and everyone who'll listen. We look for excuses to brag on our team and put down our opponents and every other team in the land. When it comes to college football we're all homers acting like stubborn selfish children. We reject logic, facts, and even the evidence we've seen with our own eyes because we're blinded by our own love affair with "our" team. We wear rose-colored glasses each and every day and never give quarter or yield to anyone, anywhere, anytime - no matter how ridiculous we look. We are fanatics. And none of us want it any other way.
ROLL TIDE!

- see same guys next post lol

I represent the antithesis of that remark.

The key to this game is sooooooooooooooo obvious a stuttering b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-blind man c-c-c-c-c-c-could see it: NDs defensive front 7 versus Alabamas O-line and running game. No team in college football can match up with Alabamas O-line and running game if they don't have quality depth no matter how good the front 7 is. NDs front 7 is good but not deep and that's just one of the reasons why Alabamas O-line will win that battle.

On the other side of the ball Alabama is more balanced, stronger running the ball, and much more likely to hit the big play. I keep reading here how McCarron will fold like a cheap suit from NDs defensive pressure. Did you watch last years BCSNCG? Do you really believe that? Really?

The only problem ND presents is a mobile QB. That's a challenge Saban is scheming against right now. I think he'll solve it and force Golson to win the game throwing the ball. If he can throw it accurately and complete 60+ % of those passes without turning it over ND has a chance.

It'll probably be a game for a half - then it's lights out for the domers. Bama by two scores or more and very likely Bama blows out the Domers.

ND's defense didn't become the best in the country by tiring out. I wish I could be a fly on the wall during your meltdown on 1/7.

 

[shalom]

Honestly Georgia and LSU were good wins both teams I think Notre Dame would be the underdog against just like you are Alabama and more than likely Florida too. Have you even looked at the Michigan game our common opponent?

Total defense just like offense is the only stat that matters. Notre Dame hasn't played a team anywhere as good as Bama on defense.

1) there is no team as good as Bama on defense that ND could play. that is because Bama is the best in the country, outside of ND. so yes ND has never played a game versus "a team as good as Bama on defense." but they have seen comparable size, strength and skill versus their own defensive line every day in practice.

2) keep in mind that ND and particularly Golson struggled mightily against pretty crap defenses this year. but every bit of what you've been posting makes it clear that you haven't played much if any football outside of the pee wee level.

football is about MATCHUPS. that's one of the most basic things you learn playing it. it's not about some mythical "best" that they regurgitate on ESPN. every athlete has strengths, every team uses those teams for schematic advantage. whether Bama or ND wins will come down to how well Kelly and Saban have used the month to prepare their teams for what they will see and how well they have prepared their teams to execute against what they will see.

the bit about "total defense being the only stat that matters" is not even dumb. to be dumb it would have to be advancing some kind of substantive argument but just do it really badly. that statement isn't even an argument. it's like some kid stringing words together. from a football perspective it literally says 0. you'd be better off just not wasting time to type stuff like that which says nothing

ND would certainly be underdogs against Georgia and LSU, and 100% based on those teams being from the SEC. Certainly not based on any statistical or empirical measure of football. Vegas sets bets based on how they expect the action to fall, not on their true expected outcome. Most people who lay down bets according to that line will not have watched all or even most of ND or Bama's games. Betting for "an SEC team" is as ignorant as betting on a fighter because he's black or a QB in the NFL playoffs because he is white. Or going to an accountant because he's asian. Yes people do it, does it actually support your argument? No.

 

[Grahambo]

To the Alabama fans: who did Alabama play this year that you consider good?

 

[gcashwell]

LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Where did I say there was a problem? I just said I'd love to be a fly on the wall during his meltdown on 1/7, because I disagree with his assessment.

You guys say no one can stand up to your Oline for 4 quarters. Well, we say our Dline is conditioned to do just that. They are conditioned to win in the 4th. Kona, Day, Springmann fill in for breathers and are additions for goal line stands. They are not push overs and will not be a liability.

There is no doubt this is a huge test for ND. Just don't expect to see them wear down in the 4th like Georgia because they won't.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

I don't think Georgia got "wore down" so much as their run defense just isn't very good.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

I don't think Georgia got "wore down" so much as their run defense just isn't very good.

Agreed, but they were significantly worse later in the game.

 

[Bishop2b5]

I went to the 1975 ND – Alabama Orange Bowl. There was a contingent of Tide fans sitting behind me. When the Tide scored later in the game and tightened things up, I passed them my faux goatskin "bladder" to help them celebrate. I neglected to warn them that it was filled with straight Jack Daniel's rather than the cheap-*** Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill most would expect.

After they stopped coughing they thanked me profusely. We became situational friends. It was one helluva a game and we were all very gracious to one another after the game.

Not all Tide and Irish fans are caricatures.

That's the case with most stereotyped groups. I worked for almost 6 years at a job where I travelled extensively - visited every major city in the US and each of the lower 48 states multiple times. We all know the stereotypes of what people from each region or certain states or cities are like. Guess what? 99% of it is baloney. New Yorkers were as friendly as anywhere else, I never met a single flake or surfer dude in California, rednecks are as common in Arizona and Michigan as they are in Alabama and Mississippi, and I didn't find Northerners to be any duller than people from anywhere else. Everywhere I went, people were the same. There wasn't enough difference between the people of any city, state or region to amount to jack. Bama and ND fans are like those of any other major program, except we probably expect a bit more and are prouder because of our programs' tradition and success over the years.

 

[NDinL.A.]

@Who'saWildManNow what's so wrong with what he posted? Do y'all think Bama fans are going to just come in here and agree with you hopes and dreams of this football game? Do you not want discussion about this game?

Whether you want to hear it from him or me this game will come down to depth. Both teams are to big and physical for it not to and thats sorta what Alabama does. We know and all agree Notre Dame has a good front seven but how good are the backups cause thats who'll win or lose the game?

I think Bama has a huge advantage in depth at most positions especially the trenches. Notre Dame has a good team but physically which means "depth wise" I don't think they match Alabama 4qrts.

This is not where you say what a homer I am or rep boy does his thing this is where you show me Notre Dame can....

It's not that you're a homer, it's that you have no clue and besides acting like a prick, you act like you're right (when you clearly know jack-sh!t about our team). Seriously, in one breath you ask (cause you have no clue) how are ND's back-ups and the next you say ND can't hang with Bama because we lack depth. Ummmmmm, didn't you just admit that you don't know about ND's depth??? Do you see how clueless, confused, and positively SEC-brainwashed you sound?

Think about it...do you really think that ND played a physical team like Stanford (yes, every bit as physical as Bama - only narrow-minded SEC fans/idiots don't realize how good/physical of a program that Stanford has become year in and year out) using ONLY 3 defensive linemen???? Here's a clue about ND's defensive front - they rotate guys quite frequently to keep them fresh - ALL YEAR LONG.

So you'll see guys like Sheldon Day, Tony Springman, Kona Shwenke, and Ishaq Williams play quite a lot. All were productive this year, especially Sheldon Day who came into his own as a true freshman. While they obviously aren't as good as the starters, there also isn't a huge drop-off either when they play, allowing ND to stay fresh.

The difference between you and I and other members here is that we won't be stupid enough to go onto a Bama website and pretend to want to talk about the game, and then criticize our team while in the same breath admitting you don't know sh!t about anything. As a mod, we welcome opposing fans to this site. But we don't welcome morons who just want to start sh!t. You were rightly dismissed by the mod who banned you. Do better next time you go to another fans' site (no doubt, you're probably taking sh!t on a Florida site about them, while then rooting for them fervently to win their bowl game because they are your 'brothers' LOL. Ahhhhhh, the SEC - God bless 'em!)...

 

[phork]

Where did I say there was a problem? I just said I'd love to be a fly on the wall during his meltdown on 1/7, because I disagree with his assessment.

You guys say no one can stand up to your Oline for 4 quarters. Well, we say our Dline is conditioned to do just that. They are conditioned to win in the 4th. Kona, Day, Springmann fill in for breathers and are additions for goal line stands. They are not push overs and will not be a liability.

There is no doubt this is a huge test for ND. Just don't expect to see them wear down in the 4th like Georgia because they won't.

But Texas A&M beat them. I don't get this assessment at all. "NO ONE CAN BEAT US! EVEN THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS!", but you LOST to Texas A&M. You Lost. You Lost. You Lost. We didn't. We didn't. We didn't.

 

[Walter White]

Can any Bama fans give us a breakdown to how they lost to Texas A&M? Besides the typical Johnny Football Wizard just used magic to run around answer.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Not an Alabama fan, but:

1]. A&M either stopped Alabama rushing or they stopped themselves [only 122 yards]; the second team back was ineffective;

2]. Limited long plays [none in running game and two passing];

3]. played sounder football [less than half the penalties and sloppy Alabama turnovers];

4]. stopped them from high third down conversion rate while converting well themselves;

5]. nothing for Alabama in the kicking game;

6]. accurate short yardage passing attack; Alabama couldn't stop one receiver at all.

Conclusions: a]. it is not obvious that Alabama's running attack cannot be stopped;
b]. any accurate short yardage passing attack can run up yards on them; figuring in Tyler Eifert to this issue, we, with TJ, Davaris, Robbie et al, probably have a better receiving corps than A&M;
c]. play a sound football game --- let them get sloppy and beat themselves.

 

[phork]

Not an Alabama fan, but:

1]. A&M either stopped Alabama rushing or they stopped themselves [only 122 yards]; the second team back was ineffective;

2]. Limited long plays [none in running game and two passing];

3]. played sounder football [less than half the penalties and sloppy Alabama turnovers];

4]. stopped them from high third down conversion rate while converting well themselves;

5]. nothing for Alabama in the kicking game;

6]. accurate short yardage passing attack; Alabama couldn't stop one receiver at all.

Conclusions: a]. it is not obvious that Alabama's running attack cannot be stopped;
b]. any accurate short yardage passing attack can run up yards on them; figuring in Tyler Eifert to this issue, we, with TJ, Davaris, Robbie et al, probably have a better receiving corps than A&M;
c]. play a sound football game --- let them get sloppy and beat themselves.

But Alabama can beat a bad NFL team.

 

[Bishop2b5]

But Alabama can beat a bad NFL team.

Ummm, you do know that was Spurrier and the ESPN talking heads that said that, not us, don't you?

 

[Bishop2b5]

Can any Bama fans give us a breakdown to how they lost to Texas A&M? Besides the typical Johnny Football Wizard just used magic to run around answer.

We got outplayed. A&M came in with a great gameplan, executed it to perfection in the first quarter and we found ourselves in a deep hole. That meant we had to abandon the run and go to the passing game to claw back into it, which meant that our usual strategy of wearing the other D down with the run and rolling over them late wasn't there. A&M's D was still fresh late in the game and they did a good job. I think we took them too lightly, but they deserve all the credit in the world for just playing a heck of a game and taking us out of our gameplan.

 

[007depthchart]

TX A&M caught Bama at perfect time. Bama had an extremely physical and draining game against LSU. They only had a week to prepare for a complicated A&M offense, and Saban has stated there was physical and mental fatigue from LSU game. Bama's passng game, like against LSU, was extremely limited due to AJ having a severely bruised back, Amari Cooper had a sparined ankle and could hardly run with no explosiveness, and the rest of the wideouts of jones, bell, and Norwood had the same predicament, could barely run due to injuries. Before Bama was even into game they were down 21-0. Bama outpalyed them the last 3 quarters but they dug too deep a hole. But you have to give A&M credit they went in and won. Manziel is great.

 

[RallySonsOfND]

Ummm, you do know that was Spurrier and the ESPN talking heads that said that, not us, don't you?

Lol

Italics means sarcasm here

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

A well rested Bama is dangerous but by no means unstoppable.

I'll give them the down week after LSU as part of the reason they lost. But, aTm called a fantastic game offensively and JM saved numerous drives with his escapability.

Alabama got back into the game in the 2nd quarter by sticking with the run and eventually over-powering A&M small D-Line.

Small as in 255, 280, 277, 245. Yes, that was the Aggies 4 front.

Now, size alone doesn't stop the run as we saw in the SEC championship where Georgia's undisciplined mammoth's gave up hole after hole, ignoring their assignments, refusing fundamentals and eventually succumbing to fatigue.

Fundamentals, Assignments, Conditioning. The three things Kelly and Diaco (coaches of the year, ahem) have brought to the Notre Dame defensive brand.

We won't stop their running game but simply limit or tame it. They will be forced to rely more on the passing game without the luxury of play action.

It's gonna be a low scoring affair because I think we will continue to struggle in the red zone but our D will keep them from trotting in every possesion.

Just want it over with already.

 

[koonja]

Notre Dame had a very tough win against Stanford, then had to climb from behind to get an emotional win against BYU the next week (played down to their competition big time) and then turn around and play in Norman. All they did was go to Oklahoma and win by 3 scores. Enough about this 'layoff' week.

 

[phork]

Ummm, you do know that was Spurrier and the ESPN talking heads that said that, not us, don't you?

But all the experts tell me its true.

We got outplayed. A&M came in with a great gameplan, executed it to perfection in the first quarter and we found ourselves in a deep hole. That meant we had to abandon the run and go to the passing game to claw back into it, which meant that our usual strategy of wearing the other D down with the run and rolling over them late wasn't there. A&M's D was still fresh late in the game and they did a good job. I think we took them too lightly, but they deserve all the credit in the world for just playing a heck of a game and taking us out of our gameplan.

So let me recap. You lost. According to the box score drive chart you were rushing well into the 3rd quarter. You only started passing exclusively in the 4th. So again lets recap the ND game preview. When you don't run the ball, you don't fare well. ND stopping the run is 2nd only to you. Interesting.

TX A&M caught Bama at perfect time. Bama had an extremely physical and draining game against LSU. They only had a week to prepare for a complicated A&M offense, and Saban has stated there was physical and mental fatigue from LSU game. Bama's passng game, like against LSU, was extremely limited due to AJ having a severely bruised back, Amari Cooper had a sparined ankle and could hardly run with no explosiveness, and the rest of the wideouts of jones, bell, and Norwood had the same predicament, could barely run due to injuries. Before Bama was even into game they were down 21-0. Bama outpalyed them the last 3 quarters but they dug too deep a hole. But you have to give A&M credit they went in and won. Manziel is great.

Do you understand that our secondary has converted offensive players on it? We were thin at DB to begin with and now have a recruited running back playing DB? We all have injuries bro, sounds like a lot of excuses to me.